


you will see a better day

by Dieselfrost



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Medicine Cats (Warriors), Mentions of past abuse, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Character, ShadowClan (Warriors), Warriors & Cats, both characters use they/them pronouns, characters from the Warriors & Cats RPG on discord, idk how to tag shit on here ngl, kind of?, sorry if its confusing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:46:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dieselfrost/pseuds/Dieselfrost
Summary: Viperpaw talks about their feelings
Relationships: Viperpaw & Snaketail
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	you will see a better day

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in a day dont come for me  
> i felt like writing about young Viperpaw idk man  
> also only Viperpaw belongs to me, Snaketail and the other cats mentioned are from the Warriors & Cats discord RPG!
> 
> song title from 'It's Alright' by Mother Mother

The dark cat stared across the thunderpath as they sat by the border. Though there were no clouds, the moon was only a quarter full, and didn’t cast much light on the marsh where the young cat resided. A chill breeze ruffled their fur, making them shiver. They crouched down on the boulder they sat atop of, the cold stone chilling them further. Closing their eyes, they wrapped their long, fluffy tail around themself.

Deep in thought, they didn’t notice when a lean gray tabby leapt up beside them.

“I thought you might be out here.” Snaketail meowed. “It’s late you know. You missed the ceremony, Swampfoot was appointed deputy.”

Viperpaw flicked their ear, but didn’t respond further.

The medicine cat sighed. “I know you’re likely grieving, and upset at Windclan, but-“

“I’m not upset.” Viperpaw retorted, turning towards the cat. “That’s the thing, I don’t...I don’t feel any pain over Pineclaw’s death. I...I know I should be sad, he was my father after all. But...” They looked back across the thunderpath, staring over the moor. “...I’m honestly kind of...glad...that he’s gone now. No more of him watching over my shoulder, telling me I’m doing everything wrong, that I should try harder to follow in his pawsteps,” they sat up, eyes watery. “That my mother wouldn’t be proud of me.”   
Snaketail leaned over to gently lick Viperpaw’s head, wrapping their thin tail around the apprentice comfortingly. “It’s alright if you feel this way, I do not blame you.” they murmured. “Pineclaw was a harsh cat, even for Shadowclan. But you can make your own choices now. You don’t need to listen to him anymore.”   
Viperpaw closed their eyes for a moment, before looking back at the cat beside them, eyes filled with determination.   
“I want to be your apprentice.” they declared.

Snaketail was quiet for a moment.

“Are you sure?” they questioned. “It is not an easy job, and you’re already a few moons into your training. You would have to stay a ‘paw much longer to complete your training as a medicine cat, while your peers receive their warrior names. You’ll have a different set of codes to follow, and you could never take a mate. Not only this, but you will face death much closer than a warrior, not so much your own, but other cats as well. I don’t say these things to scare you off, just know this isn’t something to take lightly. Do you understand?”   
“Yes. Please,” Viperpaw begged. “You know I’ve always dreamed of this, I’ve never wanted anything more.”

Snaketail nodded.   
“Then I shall talk with Badgerstar, and if he agrees you will accompany me to the moonstone at the half-moon to be accepted by Starclan.”   
Viperpaw’s eyes filled with tears, though not of sadness, and they buried their face in the tabby cat’s shoulder. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” they exclaimed. “I promise I won’t let you down!”   
The medicine cat gave them a soft lick on their head once more. “I know you won’t.” they purred. “Now,” they stood. “How about we head back to camp? I still have some cats to check up on, and I could use an extra set of paws.”   
The apprentice shot up and leapt down from the boulder. Snaketail followed, and together the two trotted off back to camp.

* * *

Viperpaw sighed as they stood by the near-empty fresh-kill pile. The recent downpours had made prey incredibly scarce, and there wasn’t enough prey for the whole clan. They themself hadn’t eaten in a few days, instead focusing on feeding their clanmates and gathering herbs. All that remained was a small frog and a scrawny shrew. They picked up the latter and began to head towards the nursery.   
“The queens have already been fed.” came a familiar voice behind them. They turned to see Snaketail padding towards them. Their mentor had always been a skinny cat, but now they looked gaunt, their ribs showing through their pelt. Viperpaw themself didn’t look much better, though their long, thick fur concealed much of their suffering.   
“What about the elders?” Viperpaw asked.

“So have they.”   
“And the senior warriors?”

“All out on hunting patrols.”   
“And what about you?   
“What about  _ you? _ ’ Snaketail chided. “You haven’t eaten in days. You can’t help your clanmates if you starve to death.”   
“Have you seen yourself?” Viperpaw snorted. “You look like you’re all bones!  _ You _ should eat something.”   
“Only if you eat too.” the medicine cat shot back. “We both need our strength.”   
The dark cat huffed, before heading over to crouch by the clanrock. They took a bite, grimacing at the tough, chewy feel, but ultimately giving in as their stomach urged them on.   
The two cats shared the prey in comfortable silence, only breaking it once there were merely tiny bones left.   
“Badgerstar wants you to head to Fourtrees.” Snaketail stated. “After the dreams Starclan have sent us, all four clans are meeting there to decide what to do.”   
Viperpaw shook their head. “I honestly didn’t think they would listen, especially not Badgerstar and Gorsestar. Why send me, though?”   
“Badgerstar said it’s because you were one of the cats who received the message from Starclan, and you know a bit more about hunting and tracking than I do. Besides, you’re a young cat, you’ll be more useful out there than sitting around in camp.”   
“You’re not that old.” Viperpaw scoffed, standing up to stretch their limbs. “I  _ suppose _ I should go down there, then. Come to think of it, I haven’t talked to many of the other clans’ cats aside from the other medicine cats.” Snaketail stood as well, gathering up the small leftover bones to bury them.   
“Well, don’t let me keep you waiting, the other clans don’t like to hunt much after dark. I should go check on the elders. I’ll see you later, Viper. Starclan grant you good hunting.” With that, the gray tabby padded off towards the elders’ den, leaving Viperpaw alone in the clearing. The young cat gave their fur a few good licks, before heading off towards the thorn tunnel.   
“This should be interesting.”

**Author's Note:**

> constructive criticism is welcome!


End file.
